The present invention relates to cat litter boxes, and more particularly to a covered cat litter box assembly having a retractable hood which provides easy and unobstructed viewing and access for cleaning, more interior room for the cat, a larger entry area for the cat, minimal space requirements for the owner and improved odor control. The use of covered cat litter boxes has become increasingly popular as the cover helps reduce odors, conceals the animal waste and soiled litter from view, and when provided with a single entry location, limits litter tracking to one side of the box. Cat litter box covers generally comprise elevated sidewalls so that the cat can use the litter box without the pet owner having to remove the cover. It has been found that the privacy afforded by such litter box covers is preferred by many cats provided the cover is not overly confining. However, for a cat litter box cover to be acceptable to most cats and indeed healthful, it must be relatively large and have sufficient headroom so that the cat can stand and move about freely within the covered box to cover and inspect its eliminations. It should also provide easy entry into the box which is particularly important for older cats which are less agile and growing in numbers. As such litter box covers are relatively bulky, they should be removable so that they do not create storage problems when not in use nor transportation difficulties.
The size of a litter box cover necessary to provide the spaciousness required for healthful, hygienic litter, and which cats instinctively desire, often presents problems for their owners. When the waste and soiled litter are removed from a covered litter box and when the cat litter is changed, the pet owner must typically remove and replace a bulky cover which may have up to four locking latches to release. Even when checking the condition of the litter, the owner must either remove the cover or kneel down and peer through a window or access opening in the cover. As a result, many pet owners have found conventional litter box covers too difficult or inconvenient to use and awkward to handle. This problem has become more acute with the recent increasing popularity of clumping cat litters wherein the clumps of soiled litter should be removed once or twice a day, depending on the number of cats using the box, as opposed to the litter simply being changed about once a week.
The use and handling problems associated with removable conventional litter box covers can be substantially reduced by providing a removable hinged securement of the cover to the rear of the litter box so that the pet owner can simply pivot the cover out of the way to provide the desired viewing and access to the interior of the box. A removable hinged connection between the litter box and cover, while facilitating handling of the cover, frequency does not present a viable solution to the conflict between the space requirements of the cat and those of its owner. As a hinged litter box cover is raised to the open position, the cover necessarily pivots upwardly and rearwardly from the box. Space limitations frequently exist in many locations where cat litter boxes are kept and often there is simply not room behind and/or above the litter box to accommodate the use of a hinged cover.
With the increasing population of older cats, the size of the entry area in a covered litter box as well as the usable interior space becomes even more important. Cats naturally tend to enter a covered litter box and turn around to increase their privacy and watch for intruders. Older cats are less agile and have more difficulties negotiating small entry areas and maneuvering in tight spaces. The same holds true for larger cats. If the entry area is inadequate, these cats often will not use the box. However, as one increases the size of the access opening to accommodate older and larger cats, the size of the litter box cover in which the opening is formed generally must also be increased, compounding the space problem for the pet owner.
If a covered litter box will not fit in the available space and allow one to conveniently use the cover, the pet owner will either simply select a smaller litter box if one is available, fail to clean and change the litter as needed, or forgo the advantages of a covered litter box altogether. Because space limitations are so common and the pet owner is the purchaser of the product, the covered cat litter boxes currently available generally have relatively confined interiors, inadequate headroom for "turn and cover" maneuvers and access openings that are often difficult for older cats to use. These litter boxes do not adequately address the spacial needs and instincts of the cat. At best they present a compromise between those needs and the convenience of its owner. The result of such a comprise is often the failure of the cat to use the covered litter box, resulting in family conflicts, hostility toward the cat and possibly abandonment or surrender of the pet to a shelter where over 8 million cats are destroyed annually.
If the cover on a litter box makes viewing and access to the litter difficult or awkward, cleaning and replacement of the soiled litter is generally done less frequency. The failure of the pet owner to check, clean and replace the litter on a frequent and regular basis will often cause a cat to discontinue using the box. When this occurs, the owner may loose patience with the cat and the cat may again loose its home. Unfortunately for many cats, the covered litter boxes heretofore available have not been very convenient to use.
The litter box of the present invention addresses the issues of conflicting spacial needs and handling and provides a single solution to these problems without having to comprise the needs of the cat and those of its owner. The covered litter box of the present invention is not only fast, easy and convenient to use, it provides a spacious interior and large entry area for the cat while requiring minimal space from the cat's owner home.
In addition to solving the above problems, the litter box of the present invention is also configured to maximize odor control. The reduction of cat litter box odor is identified by cat owners as the single most significant factor in purchasing a covered cat litter box. While definitely superior to uncovered litter boxes in containing odors, covered litter boxes are not odor free. They typically carry inadequate filter elements, have no means for directing air flow and odors to those filter elements, and are highly susceptible to breezes or drafts from an open window or door which will draw the odor carrying air from the litter boxes throughout the home.
In the litter box of the present invention not only is a highly effective high density activated carbon filter efficiently mounted in the upper end of the litter box cover, the retractable hood is particularly configured both to contain odors within the litter box and direct the rising fumes therein to the filter element where the odors are efficiently collected and neutralized. The movable hood is also provided with sealing ridges to prevent odors from escaping between the hood and adjacent components and with extended skirt portion adjacent the sides of the cat entry area which deflect breezes and drafts and prevents them from carrying off the odors before they can be neutralized by the filter element. As a result of these features, the litter box of the present invention is virtually odor free.
In addition to meeting the functional needs of both the cat and its owner, the cat litter box of the present invention also addresses the economical issues of damage-free construction and shipping. The components of the covered litter box are configured such that they can be readily molded of polypropylene or other suitable plastic material and nested together in a highly compact array for shipping. As a result, the cat litter box of the present invention obtains all of the beneficial results discussed above with a minimal impact on the costs of a covered litter box.